Osgood feels at home on road trip

DETROIT -- Chris Osgood was born about 300 miles northwest of Edmonton. He grew up south of Calgary. And he makes his offseason home a few hours from Vancouver.

The Detroit Red Wings goaltender feels right at home in western Canada and always looks forward to this road trip, especially when he sees some action. Osgood is expected to start tonight's game in Vancouver, and because of Dominik Hasek's hip irritation, he also is likely to start either Tuesday in Edmonton or Thursday in Calgary.

"My parents will be at pretty much all the games, and friends and family,'' Osgood said. "They, of course, always want to see you play. They always say, 'We're getting up there in age, we don't know how many more chances we're going to get to see you play live.' My mom will be happy if I'm playing.

"Some of (my teammates) don't like going out that far, but I enjoy it.''

Osgood is enjoying everything about this season. He's 4-0 with a 1.50 goals-against average and .929 save percentage. The Red Wings are 11-0-5 in Osgood's last 16 starts, dating back to his last loss in regulation -- Jan. 6 of last season.

"Ozzie was a little snake-bitten with injuries last year, didn't get into as many games as he probably would have liked,'' teammate Kirk Maltby said. "From training camp scrimmages to exhibition games and now to the regular season he's played great. He's worked extremely hard, he's doing a lot in practice, he's staying sharp just in case he has to play a little more than he thought he would.''

Said Osgood: "The main thing is we're winning games and are better defensively than we were at the start of the year. We're not turning the puck over as much as we were in previous games. We're getting pucks deep when we need to.''

Hasek's injury isn't significant. He made the trip but won't dress for tonight's game. He might be available Tuesday or Thursday, but since the team is idle for five days after the trip, it might opt to give Hasek an extended break.

Osgood is prepared for any type of workload, and games such as Friday's 5-1 victory over San Jose, when he faced only 11 shots, don't disrupt his rhythm.

"I've played long enough that I enjoy it, I thrive on it,'' Osgood said. "I try to be ready for the next shot and I love making that breakaway save in a 2-1 game after not having seen a shot for eight minutes.''

Jimmy Howard, the organization's goalie of the future, will serve as Osgood's back-up tonight. Coach Mike Babcock said he hadn't decided if Howard will start a game on this trip.

"Jimmy's played a lot in Grand Rapids, he's capable of jumping in and playing a game,'' Osgood said. "He's one of the best goalies in the AHL. I enjoy playing with him, he's a goofy guy.''

Grigorenko might be back next year
Even though rookie Igor Grigorenko was a major disappointment, he told the Red Wings he would like to return next season to compete for a spot on the team. Grigorenko is headed back to Russia after, as the club expected, he refused an assignment to Grand Rapids (AHL) on Friday.

The Red Wings were facing a roster squeeze because Dallas Drake (fractured cheekbone) has been cleared to play and could be in the lineup tonight and Hasek and Johan Franzen (sprained knee) are close to returning, too. The club didn't want to keep Grigorenko at the expense of a more deserving player. Grigorenko had a contingency deal with a team in the Russian Superleague in the event he failed to earn a roster spot with the Red Wings. He leaves on amicable terms.

"In Russia, they play their way into shape; I explained to him that's not what we do here. Everyone comes to camp in great shape,'' Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said. "He needs to work on quick-feet drills and get into top physical condition. We'll continue to monitor him. There's no reason he can't come back next year.''

Holland said the team will maintain Grigorenko's NHL rights by making him a qualifying offer in June.